Staff
Emily Batts Emily Batts
- Curriculum and University Operations Specialist, Child Welfare Training Academy
- she, her, hers
- 612-301-9802
- krzyk004@umn.edu
Emily Batts is the Curriculum and University Operations Administrator for the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy.

Erin Bernardy Erin Bernardy
- Title IV-E Program Evaluator, Center for the Advanced Study of Child Welfare
- she, her, hers
- berna424@umn.edu
Erin Bernardy evaluates CASCW programs, at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work, with Title IV-E funding

Alison Bey Alison Bey
- Curriculum Developer, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
- she, her, hers
- beyxx016@umn.edu
Alison has an MEd from the U of MN and has been working in the field of Adult Education for about 10 years. Alison is from Saint Paul, and currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband and young daughter.

Megan Brown Megan Brown
- Curriculum Developer, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
- she, her, hers
- brow6977@umn.edu
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Steve Carlson Steve Carlson
- Clinical Trainer, Center for Practice Transformation
- carlsos@umn.edu
Steve joined the Center in 2014 as a Clinical Trainer. Prior to this he served as the Director of Training at a local Minnesota non-profit. He has had a full career in the mental health field spanning nearly forty years.

Rosetta Chears Rosetta Chears
- MSW Practicum Education Program Coordinator
- she, her, hers
- 612-624-4241
- rchears@umn.edu
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Denise Cooper Denise Cooper
- Outreach Coordinator, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
- mcki0055@umn.edu
Denise supports the Outreach efforts of CASCW.

Michelle Deziel Michelle Deziel
- Curriculum Developer, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
- she, her, hers
- dezie052@umn.edu
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Rae Dillon Rae Dillon
- Academic Advisor
- she/her/hers
- mill4780@umn.edu
Rae Dillon, our new academic advisor, has served in the education field for over thirteen years (youth programs, public schools, education nonprofits, & higher education).

Amy Dorman Amy Dorman
- Researcher; Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
- she, her, hers
- dorm0039@umn.edu
Amy Dorman conducts child welfare research and program evaluation at the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work.

Kyle Evans Kyle Evans
- Academic Advisor
- evans786@umn.edu
Kyle comes to us from the University of Minnesota, Morris campus bringing with him five years of progressive higher education experience.

Crystal Fernandez Crystal Fernandez
- Executive Administrative Office Specialist, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
- crystal@umn.edu
Crystal supports Title IV-E students at the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work.

Jane Fields Jane Fields
- Evaluation and Credentialing Supervisor with the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
- she, her, hers
- jfields@umn.edu
Jane has more than two decades of experience working with project leaders, staff members, participants, and communities in evaluating program designs, implementation, and impact as both an internal and external evaluator.

Kaia Forde Kaia Forde
- Graphic Designer, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
- kforde@umn.edu
Kaia Forde works primarily on the messaging, marketing, and communication materials to be used be within and outside of the CASCW.

Liz Fronsoe Liz Fronsoe
- PLX Coordinator, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
- efronsoe@umn.edu
Liz coordinates the Phoenix Learning Xchange program which aims to broaden the knowledge of development, challenges, positive engagement and wellbeing of youth and adolescents involved in the child welfare and other social service systems, all while…

Stacy Gehringer Stacy Gehringer
- Director of Outreach, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
- she, her, hers
- gehr0086@umn.edu
Stacy leads the Outreach efforts at CASCW, the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. She manages communication, training events, faculty partnerships, center collaborations, awards, CW360°, and policy tracking.

Josh Geiger Josh Geiger
- Curriculum Developer with the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
- he, him, his
- 612-301-9771
- geig0042@umn.edu
Josh is from St. Paul and currently lives on the West Side. He has previously worked as a trainer, adviser, and teacher. Josh enjoys uncovering the connectedness of seemingly disconnected things and brings an artistic lens to his work.

Emily Gus Emily Gus
- Research Coordinator, Center for Practice Transformation
- she, her, hers
- emilygus@umn.edu
Emily Gus joined the Center for Practice Transformation (CPT) as a Research Coordinator, with an MPH in Community Health Promotion from the University of Minnesota.



Hilal Isler Hilal Isler
- Communications and Marketing Manager
- she, her, hers
- isler010@umn.edu
This is a summary example.

Kelly Johnson Kelly Johnson
- Operations Coordinator, Center for Practice Transformation
- john16@umn.edu
Kelly Johnson joined the Center for Practice Transformation (CPT) and the School of Social Work (SSW) as an Operations Coordinator with a BA in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse.

Lolita Johnson Lolita Johnson
- Curriculum Supervisor with the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
- she, her, hers
- 612-301-9769
- howa0052@umn.edu
Lolita has over 20 years of leadership, training, and design experience that relates to adult education and development.

Larissa Lavrov Larissa Lavrov
- Admissions Director
- they, them, theirs
- 612-626-4793
- llavrov@umn.edu
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Nora Lee Nora Lee
- Administrative Operations Professional with the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
- she, her, hers
- 612-301-9792
- nmlee@umn.edu
Nora started with the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare June 2011 as the Executive Office and Administrative Specialist. She assists with the outreach, professional education, and program operations components of the Center.

Deborah Moore Deborah Moore
- Interim Director of Undergraduate Studies
- 612-625-7813
- ddm2@umn.edu
Adolescents/Youth, Youth Development, Program Development

Shiheina Munye Shiheina Munye
- Engagement and Communications Specialist, Center for Practice Transformation
- munye006@umn.edu
Shiheina Munye joined the Center for Practice Transformation (CPT) and the School of Social Work (SSW) as a Community Engagement Coordinator with a BS in Health Promotion & Equity and Community & Environmental Sociology.

Timothy Nichols Timothy Nichols
- Web and Digital Specialist, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
- he, him, his
- 612-625-7468
- nich0121@umn.edu
Tim has been with the University of Minnesota since 2012 and has experience working with website management, Drupal, Salesforce and Google Analytics.

Bill O'Connor Bill O'Connor
- Communications Director, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
- he, him, his
- 612-301-9788
- oconn301@umn.edu
Bill leads the communication strategy for the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA), which is a partnership between the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) and the Child Safety and Permanency Division at the Minnesota…

Peggy Pond Peggy Pond
- Academic Support Services Professional
- she, her, hers
- 612-624-3700
- ppond@umn.edu
I have many roles in SSW! My main focus is assisting all of our School of Social Work's academic programs, both undergraduate and graduate.

Julie Rohovit Julie Rohovit
- Director of the Center for Practice Transformation; SSW Community Faculty
- rohov001@umn.edu
Julie is one of the founders of the University of Minnesota School of Social Work's Center for Practice Transformation.

Suzanne Shatila Suzanne Shatila
- Master of Social Work Program Director
- she, her, hers
- shati010@umn.edu
Suzanne Shatila, DSW, MSSW, LGSW, is the MSW Program Director. Dr. Shatila was involved in mezzo and macro-level social work practice with human services, children's services, and community-based nonprofits prior to moving into higher education…

Andrea Stronghart Andrea Stronghart
- Director of Operations, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
- she, her, hers
- 612-624-7242
- astrong@umn.edu
Andrea provides support to the CASCW Executive Director, working to align the budget, human resources, data systems, research-related operations, facilities, technology, and other operational areas with the center’s strategic goals, including the…

Paying Thao Paying Thao
- Administrative Finance Professional, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
- She/Her/Hers
- thao0369@umn.edu

Krista Trempe Krista Trempe
- Graphic Designer with the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
- she, her, hers
- 612-301-9796
- ktrempe@umn.edu
Krista is an award-winning graphic designer and visual communicator with over 20 years of experience. The majority of her career has been in magazine publishing, and she's delighted to be working at the Training Academy.

Michael Van Wert Michael Van Wert
- Clinical Trainer and Research Associate, Center for Practice Transformation; SSW Community Faculty
- he, him, his
- vanwe027@umn.edu
Michael Van Wert joined the University of Minnesota School of Social Work's Center for Practice Transformation in 2022.

Keely Vandre Keely Vandre
- PACC Coordinator, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare; SSW Communications
- she, her, hers
- 612-626-3831
- shal0035@umn.edu
Keely coordinates the Permanency & Adoption Competency Certificate (PACC) program offered through the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, supporting advanced level training for mental health and child welfare professionals, and increasing a…

Jennifer Wiseman Jennifer Wiseman
- Associate Director of Training and Operations, Center for Practice Transformation; SSW Community Faculty
- wisem017@umn.edu
As Associate Director of Operations, Jen oversees the daily and strategic administrative operations of the Center for Practice Transformation and supervises processes for monitoring all projects including contract management, invoicing, deliverables,…

Jillian Wright Jillian Wright
- Associate Director of Community Engagement, Center for Practice Transformation
- she/her/hers
- 612-301-5361
- wrig0331@umn.edu
Jillian Wright is the Center for Practice Transformation's Associate Director of Community Engagement, and continues work as a clinical trainer.
